Unit 3 In the Lab

Part 1

Hello, everybody. My name is Keith Gower. For the next 11 weeks I’ll be your lab instructor.

There will be about 11 laboratory experiments during the semester. You are required to write a laboratory report for each of the experiments and turn it in by the Monday following the lab. Lab reports must be submitted as professional documents. For this reason, points will be taken off for spelling and grammatical errors.

It’s been proven that using the “Discover” method for labs is a more effective method for learning. So we will explore this by trying to do a few of the labs using the “Discover” method and others using the traditional “Verify” method. The “Verify” method is very useful for learning data analysis skills and basic laboratory skills.

I am eager to help you succeed in the course. If you need assistance, or if you just wish to discuss some aspect of the course, you should feel free to contact me. My office hours are posted on the office door.

There are some general rules you should keep to. In order to participate effectively, you should attend class faithfully and keep up with daily assignments. Only one excused absence from a laboratory can be made up in the semester. If you regularly cut class I reserve the right to lower your grade accordingly.

And finally, if you are 15 minutes late for class don’t bother coming, borrow notes from another student, and be punctual the next time.

Part 2

Let’s change direction now and focus on how to write a lab report. In all aspects of this class you will be investigating the nature of science. I believe that the best way to do this is through hands-on experience and laboratory activities. The lab is a place for you to actively engage in the process of “SCIENCE”. Part of this process is writing a laboratory report. The lab report is not only the time for you to share the results discovered during experimentation, but it is also an opportunity for you to analyze your procedure and evaluate any mistakes you may have made. Remember that science is imperfect - we learn new information by trying out new things and continuing to ask questions outside the classroom.

In this class, lab reports must always be completed with the word processor. Figures and graphs should be generated on the computer and must include a title and information about units. So, your lab reports are the most accurate and helpful record of what goes on in science class this year. OK? Good.

Part 3

Now let’s take a look at the sections of a lab report. Every lab report must consist of eight sections. The first one is the Title. The title should indicate what the laboratory report is about. It should be brief, start with a key word, and indicate the nature of the investigation. Then comes Introduction or Purpose. It should be a paragraph long, explain the objectives, or purpose of the investigation. In one clear sentence, state your hypothesis. You may briefly summarize how the experiment was conducted, the findings and the conclusions of the experiment.

The third section is Materials, which is a list of everything you needed to complete your experiment.

The section Methods is a detailed description of the steps you completed during the lab work. It is your procedure. Anyone should be able to read this section and duplicate your experiment. Write it as if you are writing instructions for someone else to complete the lab.

Results is the next part of the lab report, in which you organize and summarize the data generated by your experiment. A data table is used to represent the results of an experiment. You should discuss your data table in words.

In the Discussion or Analysis section you must discuss and interpret the results of your investigation. It is important to reflect back on your hypothesis in this section - can you support your hypothesis? Must you reject it? Also, use this section to discuss any mistakes you may have made while performing the experiment. If your data are contradictory try to figure out where you went wrong. Finally, suggest how the investigation might have been improved.

Of course, there should be the Conclusions section and it has to be a good solid paragraph. It is the most important part of the report. For every report you must answer the following questions in the conclusion section:

• What do your data tell you about the experiment?

• What happened in the experiment?

• What did you learn from completing the experiment?

Finally, comes Figures & Graphs. Graphs and figures must both be labeled with a descriptive title. Both axes on a graph must be labeled with specific units of measure. The independent variable should always be recorded on the X-axis. The dependent variable is recorded on the Y-axis.

All right. That’s enough for the first class. I’ll see you next time. Oh, one more thing, don’t forget to make yourself familiar with the lab safety instructions beforehand. OK? That’s it for today. Bye, for now.